(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to devices used in dentistry. More particularly, to dental dams used for oral procedures to protect from objects such as tooth fragments being swallowed or aspirated by the patient.
(2) Description of Related Art
A number of dental dams are available commercially and have been used over the years for procedures such as removing tooth decay and filling the cavities, preparing a tooth for a crown and the like. These dams usually comprise a plastic or metal frame on which is stretched a flexible sheet such as latex. The sheet is provided with a small diameter aperture about its center that can be stretched tightly about the tooth being drilled. The dam is usually sufficiently large to cover the mouth thereby preventing particulates produced during the dental operation from entering the mouth, throat or airway of the patient. Unfortunately, these dams are flat sheets of flexible material and are not designed to contain random trajectory high speed particles produced during grinding of a tooth nor do they protect the dentist or patient from being impacted by these particles nor is it designed to capture or entrap these particles for easy disposal and protection against transmittable diseases.
Consequently, there is a need for a dental dam that protects the patient from swallowing or aspirating fragments of teeth produced during the dental operation, the dentist and dental assistants from high speed particles ejected during drilling and other patients or dental personnel from diseases that could be transmitted by fragments of teeth that are not contained and properly discarded from infected patients.